When 19-year-old school leaver, Friday Ifeanyi, left his Eni Njoku Road home to work in the early hours of last Saturday, he never knew he was biding his five siblings a final farewell.
Clad in beautiful attire, Friday left for work as goods had arrived for off-loading into the store where he worked as a sales representative. But that was not to be as his family was thrown into mourning several hours after as news filtered in that a trigger-happy cop had killed him.
The deceased’s father, Ogbuka Ifeanyi, who is also a pastor in the Assemblies of God Church, Port Harcourt branch, said he was devastated when he was informed of the incident. He stated that situation had denied his family the hope of raising Friday the way he wanted.
Ogbuka said he was told that three drunken policemen in a car brushed the truck housing the goods being off-loaded by Friday and others and Friday engaged them in an argument. He added that the cops left after the encounter only for a constable who was among them to return with a gun and shot Friday.
The pastor stated that Friday was immediately rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, where he died the following day.
He told Sunday PUNCH, “I don’t believe that my son is dead. Till now, they have not allowed me to see the corpse. I cannot sleep as those who killed my son have denied me sleep. The police have denied me sleep. I am pained by the fact that I have been borrowing to ensure that Friday achieved his life ambition in education as well as his siblings. A lending agent has been after me because of the money I borrowed from them to train him and his siblings.’’
After the incident, the state Commissioner of Police, Eneh Okon, contacted the Ohafia Divisional Police Officer who confirmed the incident and informed the CP that three police officers; an Assistant Superintendent of Police, a sergeant and a corporal were involved in the incident.
Based on the information, the CP ordered the arrest and detention of the trio. However, as the news filtered in that Friday was dead, youths of Ebem Ohafia started a protest which later spread to the 27 villages in Ohafia including Ebem, a central village to Ohafia, after Elu village.
Incidentally, the Ebem village houses the magistrate and high courts, as well as Ohafia police station, including the Ohafia DPO quarters. Early that Sunday morning, while the CP ordered the state Criminal Investigation Department to move into the area to investigate the incident, the Ebem youths went on the rampage and torched the police station and courts buildings.
According to a source, “As early as 7am, part of the police station was burnt while the DPO’s quarter was completely destroyed including two police patrol vans.’’
The source added that police formation from nearby Nkporo community was on its way to maintain order but was blocked by the angry youths at Elu Ohafia, and the patrol van burnt and the policemen fled for safety.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Geoffrey Ogbonna, in a statement after the incident, said the command received news of the shooting incident in Ebem Ohafia by a policeman which claimed the life of an innocent young man identified as Ifeanyi Arunsi on Friday, April 17, 2020.
The statement added, “The policemen, led by an Assistant Superintendent of Police, were neither on duty nor on COVID-19 preventive assignment. They went out in a private car belonging to one of them to a drinking joint where they got drunk and while going back home, the driver hit a truck off-loading goods.
“In an ensuing argument between the policemen and the people off-loading goods, one of the policemen, a constable disappeared from the scene and resurfaced with a police rifle and started shooting sporadically under the influence of alcohol during which, bullet hit the victim on his buttocks.
“This singular act and others of same nature is regrettable, condemnable and not tolerated by both the Nigeria Police Force and its Abia State Command. The state Commissioner of Police, Eneh Okon, commiserates with the immediate and extended families of the deceased as well as the entire Ohafia people.’’
It noted that the erring policemen had been arrested for investigation and eventual prosecution and the corpse of the deceased deposited in a yet-to-be disclosed morgue by members of his family for preservation.
Also speaking, the deceased’s mother, Uzoma Ifeanyi, said tearfully that her son’s death had ended the family’s aspiration for a better future for him.
She said, “Ifeanyi was somebody people loved because of his character. He was vibrant, intelligent and not troublesome. He played along with people as he went to work and was always cheerful. I have a problem consoling his younger ones who have been crying uncontrollably since the news of his death broke. The Federal Government, especially the police, should come to my aid.’’
Meanwhile, the Abia State Government in a state by the Commissioner for Information, John Okiyi Kalu, stated that it was shocked to receive the news of yet another alleged extra judicial killing of a citizen by security agents.
It appealed to parties involved in the incident to ensure peace to allow proper conduct of investigation to bring the perpetrators to book.
In a visit to the bereaved family last Monday, the state governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, condemned Friday’s killing.
The governor was represented by the Deputy Governor, Ude Chukwu and accompanied on the visit by the Deputy Speaker of the state Assembly, Mr lfeanyi Uchendu, Brigade Commander, 14 Brigade Ohafia, Major General SB Kumapayi, Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Dr D.K Uduma, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, Ukpai Agwu and the Transition Committee Chairman, Ohafia LGA, Fred Idika, among others. The governor said he was in the area “to ascertain the level of attendant destruction of property carried out by the Ohafia youths who protested against the killing.’’
Briefing the governor’s representatives on the incident, the Area Commander, Nigeria Police Divisional Headquarters, Ebem Ohafia, Toyin Sulyman, noted that the suspects would face the full wrath of the law, while thanking the governor for visiting to ascertain the level of damage.
An uncle to the deceased, Ubani Ukpai, who said the family was heartbroken over the killing because the deceased was hard-working and resourceful, thanked the governor for paying them a visit.
Reacting to the incident, member representing Arochukwu/Ohafia at the House of Representatives, Uko Nkole, who also visited the grieving family, described the incident as ‘unfortunate,’ calling on the police to launch a full investigation into the matter.
The Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of ICT, Force Headquarters, Abuja, representing South-East Police Headquarters, DIG Celestine Okoye, was in the state to investigate the incident. Okoye said he was directed by the IG “to ascertain the root cause of the problem” and appeal to the state government and Abians to take heart.